New show puts military mom in the lead

Associated Press

January 9, 2017

Photo: Michael Yarish, HONS / Associated Press

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This image released by Netflix shows Rita Moreno, from left, Marcel Ruiz and Justina Machado in a scene from "One Day At A Time." The series, a remake of the 1970's-80's Norman Lear TV series, centers on a Cuban-American family. It debuts on Netflix on Sunday. (Michael Yarish/Netflix via AP) less

This image released by Netflix shows Rita Moreno, from left, Marcel Ruiz and Justina Machado in a scene from "One Day At A Time." The series, a remake of the 1970's-80's Norman Lear TV series, centers on a ... more

Photo: Michael Yarish, HONS / Associated Press

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This image released by Netflix shows Rita Moreno in a scene from "One Day At A Time." The series, a remake of the 1970's-80's Norman Lear TV series, centers on a Cuban-American family. It debuts on Netflix on Sunday. (Michael Yarish/Netflix via AP) less

This image released by Netflix shows Rita Moreno in a scene from "One Day At A Time." The series, a remake of the 1970's-80's Norman Lear TV series, centers on a Cuban-American family. It debuts on Netflix on ... more

Photo: Michael Yarish, HONS / Associated Press

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Norman Lear and cast member Rita Moreno on the set of "One Day at a Time," now available for streaming on Netflix

Norman Lear and cast member Rita Moreno on the set of "One Day at a Time," now available for streaming on Netflix

Photo: Michael Yarish/Netflix / Michael Yarish/Netflix

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Norman Lear's 'One Day at a Time' of the '70s and '80s: Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) is bookended by her two daughters (Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips) along with building superintendent Schneider ( Pat Harrington Jr.) less

Norman Lear's 'One Day at a Time' of the '70s and '80s: Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) is bookended by her two daughters (Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips) along with building superintendent Schneider ... more

Photo: Courtesy Of CBS / CBS

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Rita Moreno, Justina Machado and the rest of the cast of 'One Day at a Time' enjoy a playful moment on Norman Lear's new Latino version of his classic TV hit.

Rita Moreno, Justina Machado and the rest of the cast of 'One Day at a Time' enjoy a playful moment on Norman Lear's new Latino version of his classic TV hit.

Photo: Michael Yarish / Netflix / Netflix

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Executive producers Norman Lear and Mike Royce (far left) visit with the stars, including Rita Moreno (far right), of Netflix comedy 'One Day at a Time'.

Executive producers Norman Lear and Mike Royce (far left) visit with the stars, including Rita Moreno (far right), of Netflix comedy 'One Day at a Time'.

Photo: Michael Yarish / Netflix / Netflix

New show puts military mom in the lead

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Television's enthusiastic attic-rummaging for old shows to resurrect isn't abating.

With an increasing number of outlets in need of content, original ideas are augmented by reboots and sequels including "The X-Files," "Fuller House," "Gilmore Girls" and, debuting on Netflix, "One Day at a Time."

But it may be unfair to put Netflix's sitcom in that company. Yes, it has original producer Norman Lear aboard. Yes, it's about a mom raising two children without benefit of their father. In many other ways, it's altogether its own show.

The 1975-84 CBS series broke ground by featuring a divorced Midwesterner, on her own and struggling to re-enter the job market and care for her two daughters.

This time around, mom is a former military medic now working as a nurse in Los Angeles raising a boy and girl. She's separated from her husband, who's out of the service but remained in Afghanistan to work in private security. And she's got her own mom on hand, enlarging her support circle beyond Schneider (a mainstay of the original that stuck).

Another change: the first "One Day" family was white, this one is Cuban American, with characters and stories that are a reflection, in part, of executive producer Gloria Calderon Kellett's life. The stage and screen writer is working with fellow executive producers Lear, Mike Royce and Michael Garcia.

An award-winning playwright who proved her TV chops with "Devious Maids" and "How I Met Your Mother," she'd been approached before about doing a project based on her family, including her Cuban immigrant parents. But her protectiveness toward them held her back.

A conversation with Lear, of "All in the Family," "Maude" and more hits, changed that.

Royce, joining Calderon Kellett to discuss the show, brings his own impressive credits, including "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Men of a Certain Age."

Both credit Lear, 94, with giving them the freedom to use his earlier series as the starting point, not a template. "Who is the single mom of today?" Lear asked them, the producers said.

What emerged was Penelope, played by Justina Machado ("Six Feet Under"), who appears rock-solid but grapples with family stress and her military experiences. On hand to help and hinder are Penelope's mom Lydia, played by the remarkable Rita Moreno, and a hipper Schneider (Todd Grinnell). The kids are outspoken teen Elena (Isabella Gomez) and younger, image-conscious Alex (Marcel Ruiz).

It all sets up the kind of social and political stories that are Lear's trademark. In the first episode, Elena rejects having a quinceanara - a traditional coming-of-age celebration for Latinas - as outdated and sexist, leading to a clash with her mother. Religion, immigration and sex are among other topics woven into the show's 13 episodes that were released together Friday.

"I don't feel like we need to water it down to appeal to more people. I feel like being specific we're going to appeal to more people," she said.

There's also familiarity in the show's multicamera format, which struck a chord with Calderon Kellett: "The playwright in me is delighted to write these nice long scenes, without interruption. And there's a studio audience, there's a proscenium."

In fact, as Calderon Kellett tells it, there's a general embarrassment of riches, many linked to Lear himself. When she mentioned to him that she had an ongoing joke about imagining Moreno as her mom, the impeccably well-connected Lear brought her aboard. When she and Royce said it would be wonderful if Gloria Estefan could do the revamped theme song, Lear replied, "Oh, I'm friends with Gloria. Let's call her."